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Culture #7
Look to Windward
When using that middle initial M., Iain Banks writes grand space opera combining galactic scope with twisty, tricky probes into the darkest secrets of human and other minds. Look to Windward revisits the utopian but ruthless interstellar Culture introduced in Consider Phlebas, exploring the complex aftermath of a rare Culture mistake--humanitarian tinkering with an unjust civilization that accidentally led to massive civil war and billions dead.
After a harrowing battle flashback, the scene shifts to one of the Culture's wonderfully landscaped, ring-shaped artificial worlds called Orbitals. A ghastly light is awaited in the sky from distant suns detonated in the war of Consider Phlebas eight centuries earlier; an occasion for sombre festivity, pyrotechnics, and a memorial symphony from exiled alien composer Ziller. Meanwhile another tortured member of Ziller's race--aggressors and victims in that more recent civil war--arrives on a mission whose dreadful nature emerges through fragments of slowly returning memory. Elsewhere, in the exuberantly imagined airsphere home of floating "behemothaurs" almost too huge to imagine, the clue to what's happening falls belatedly into inexperienced hands...
While scattering red herrings and building tension for his final burst of literal and moral fireworks, Banks shows us around the Orbital in sensuous, lyrical travelogues. Rich scenery, high living, low comedy and dangerous sports contrast with reflections on mortality and the lingering aftershock of both those wars, recalled by ravaged veterans. Look to Windward culminates with deft twists, inversions, parallels, and savage justice, as unexpected as we expect from this author. Recommended. --David Langford
416 pages, ebook
First published August 1, 2000
865 people are currently reading
13944 people want to read
About the author
Iain M. Banks
58 books6,530 followersIain M. Banks is a pseudonym of Iain Banks which he used to publish his Science Fiction.
Banks's father was an officer in the Admiralty and his mother was once a professional ice skater. Iain Banks was educated at the University of Stirling where he studied English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology. He moved to London and lived in the south of England until 1988 when he returned to Scotland, living in Edinburgh and then Fife.
Banks met his wife Annie in London, before the release of his first book. They married in Hawaii in 1992. However, he announced in early 2007 that, after 25 years together, they had separated. He lived most recently in North Queensferry, a town on the north side of the Firth of Forth near the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge.
As with his friend Ken MacLeod (another Scottish writer of technical and social science fiction) a strong awareness of left-wing history shows in his writings. The argument that an economy of abundance renders anarchy and adhocracy viable (or even inevitable) attracts many as an interesting potential experiment, were it ever to become testable. He was a signatory to the Declaration of Calton Hill, which calls for Scottish independence.
In late 2004, Banks was a prominent member of a group of British politicians and media figures who campaigned to have Prime Minister Tony Blair impeached following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In protest he cut up his passport and posted it to 10 Downing Street. In an interview in Socialist Review he claimed he did this after he "abandoned the idea of crashing my Land Rover through the gates of Fife dockyard, after spotting the guys armed with machine guns." He related his concerns about the invasion of Iraq in his book Raw Spirit, and the principal protagonist (Alban McGill) in the novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale confronts another character with arguments in a similar vein.
Interviewed on Mark Lawson's BBC Four series, first broadcast in the UK on 14 November 2006, Banks explained why his novels are published under two different names. His parents wished to name him Iain Menzies Banks but his father made a mistake when registering the birth and he was officially registered as Iain Banks. Despite this he continued to use his unofficial middle name and it was as Iain M. Banks that he submitted The Wasp Factory for publication. However, his editor asked if he would mind dropping the 'M' as it appeared "too fussy". The editor was also concerned about possible confusion with Rosie M. Banks, a minor character in some of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves novels who is a romantic novelist. After his first three mainstream novels his publishers agreed to publish his first SF novel, Consider Phlebas. To distinguish between the mainstream and SF novels, Banks suggested the return of the 'M', although at one stage he considered John B. Macallan as his SF pseudonym, the name deriving from his favourite whiskies: Johnnie Walker Black Label and The Macallan single malt.
His latest book was a science fiction (SF) novel in the Culture series, called The Hydrogen Sonata, published in 2012.
Author Iain M. Banks revealed in April 2013 that he had late-stage cancer. He died the following June.
The Scottish writer posted a message on his official website saying his next novel The Quarry, due to be published later this year*, would be his last.
*The Quarry was published in June 2013.
Banks's father was an officer in the Admiralty and his mother was once a professional ice skater. Iain Banks was educated at the University of Stirling where he studied English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology. He moved to London and lived in the south of England until 1988 when he returned to Scotland, living in Edinburgh and then Fife.
Banks met his wife Annie in London, before the release of his first book. They married in Hawaii in 1992. However, he announced in early 2007 that, after 25 years together, they had separated. He lived most recently in North Queensferry, a town on the north side of the Firth of Forth near the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge.
As with his friend Ken MacLeod (another Scottish writer of technical and social science fiction) a strong awareness of left-wing history shows in his writings. The argument that an economy of abundance renders anarchy and adhocracy viable (or even inevitable) attracts many as an interesting potential experiment, were it ever to become testable. He was a signatory to the Declaration of Calton Hill, which calls for Scottish independence.
In late 2004, Banks was a prominent member of a group of British politicians and media figures who campaigned to have Prime Minister Tony Blair impeached following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In protest he cut up his passport and posted it to 10 Downing Street. In an interview in Socialist Review he claimed he did this after he "abandoned the idea of crashing my Land Rover through the gates of Fife dockyard, after spotting the guys armed with machine guns." He related his concerns about the invasion of Iraq in his book Raw Spirit, and the principal protagonist (Alban McGill) in the novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale confronts another character with arguments in a similar vein.
Interviewed on Mark Lawson's BBC Four series, first broadcast in the UK on 14 November 2006, Banks explained why his novels are published under two different names. His parents wished to name him Iain Menzies Banks but his father made a mistake when registering the birth and he was officially registered as Iain Banks. Despite this he continued to use his unofficial middle name and it was as Iain M. Banks that he submitted The Wasp Factory for publication. However, his editor asked if he would mind dropping the 'M' as it appeared "too fussy". The editor was also concerned about possible confusion with Rosie M. Banks, a minor character in some of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves novels who is a romantic novelist. After his first three mainstream novels his publishers agreed to publish his first SF novel, Consider Phlebas. To distinguish between the mainstream and SF novels, Banks suggested the return of the 'M', although at one stage he considered John B. Macallan as his SF pseudonym, the name deriving from his favourite whiskies: Johnnie Walker Black Label and The Macallan single malt.
His latest book was a science fiction (SF) novel in the Culture series, called The Hydrogen Sonata, published in 2012.
Author Iain M. Banks revealed in April 2013 that he had late-stage cancer. He died the following June.
The Scottish writer posted a message on his official website saying his next novel The Quarry, due to be published later this year*, would be his last.
*The Quarry was published in June 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,008 reviews
May 15, 2022
Better try not to mess with an almighty war AI, especially if you´re a primitive, status driven society.
Reread 2022 with extended review
Some of the topics are huge habitats controlled by a veteran AI and an, in comparison, primitive, archaic culture that plays around with hightech. Banks thereby criticizes caste systems, the process of deciding against or for war or cultural imperialism prime doctrine style, and the concepts of an afterlife that gets misused by ideology.
Brains for each special use
The discrepancy between an AI that should, on the one hand, protect all living beings in its sphere of influence and be as merciless as possible against attackers on the other hand. As if a high ranking killer general would have to build the best living for all the people under his command. Of course that´s totally possible, but the option of being governed by a super killing entity has a kind of overachieving protector taste. The AI gives one of the most badass superiority speeches ever too.
The impact of art
The worth of art and its uniqueness and how art could be instrumentalized in the future as a tool for describing and criticizing complex topics are demonstrated by a renegade artist living in exile and sarcasting the heck out of his wacky, conservative culture.
Castes and hierarchies
Criticizing these is one of Banks' big topics, giving loads of innuendos about everything that went and goes wrong in human societies. Especially economy and politics, money and ideology, are the maladies that postpone a post scarcity utopia and lead to things like
Mind uploads for glory and homeland
Controlling a technology that could give immortality, but is instead misused to cement sick dictatorships that reduce the worth of humans to socioeconomic status and the family and caste they´re born into, is completely bonkers because of the unused potential of all these conscious beings. With optional use for war, deleting some billion souls to get some more free memory space, or pimp bandwidth.
Giggle while being awestruck
That´s what Banks would have wanted, laugh about the great situations and dialogues satirizing this whole mess and recognize how far humankind still has to go. As always after finishing one of Banks' novels, the reader is left rueful, realizing how minuscule humankind is in relation to the undiscovered and barely understood, endless universe and the billions of years old and advanced civilizations that might be lurking, or hopefully friendly waiting, out there.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
Reread 2022 with extended review
Some of the topics are huge habitats controlled by a veteran AI and an, in comparison, primitive, archaic culture that plays around with hightech. Banks thereby criticizes caste systems, the process of deciding against or for war or cultural imperialism prime doctrine style, and the concepts of an afterlife that gets misused by ideology.
Brains for each special use
The discrepancy between an AI that should, on the one hand, protect all living beings in its sphere of influence and be as merciless as possible against attackers on the other hand. As if a high ranking killer general would have to build the best living for all the people under his command. Of course that´s totally possible, but the option of being governed by a super killing entity has a kind of overachieving protector taste. The AI gives one of the most badass superiority speeches ever too.
The impact of art
The worth of art and its uniqueness and how art could be instrumentalized in the future as a tool for describing and criticizing complex topics are demonstrated by a renegade artist living in exile and sarcasting the heck out of his wacky, conservative culture.
Castes and hierarchies
Criticizing these is one of Banks' big topics, giving loads of innuendos about everything that went and goes wrong in human societies. Especially economy and politics, money and ideology, are the maladies that postpone a post scarcity utopia and lead to things like
Mind uploads for glory and homeland
Controlling a technology that could give immortality, but is instead misused to cement sick dictatorships that reduce the worth of humans to socioeconomic status and the family and caste they´re born into, is completely bonkers because of the unused potential of all these conscious beings. With optional use for war, deleting some billion souls to get some more free memory space, or pimp bandwidth.
Giggle while being awestruck
That´s what Banks would have wanted, laugh about the great situations and dialogues satirizing this whole mess and recognize how far humankind still has to go. As always after finishing one of Banks' novels, the reader is left rueful, realizing how minuscule humankind is in relation to the undiscovered and barely understood, endless universe and the billions of years old and advanced civilizations that might be lurking, or hopefully friendly waiting, out there.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
March 3, 2016
heavy, heavy themes done with a light and benevolent touch. the topics on display include suicide and suicide bombings, terrorism, genocide, imperialism/cultural colonialism, the nature of war, the afterlife... and feature a loveable cast of pretentious robot drones, adorable and often furry alien creatures, and one very melancholy Artificial Intelligence.
VAGUE SPOILERS: the last four chapters are jaw-dropping in scope, moving from an elegiac double suicide (i teared up!) to a mind-boggling check-in with minor characters set millions of years in the future to a vicious and literally gut-wrenching display of retribution to a surprisingly wry ending (complete with a snappily ironic gotcha moment of role reversal). awesome.
good stuff on its own; amazing when considered as just one piece of the author's Culture novels. my favorite one so far.
VAGUE SPOILERS: the last four chapters are jaw-dropping in scope, moving from an elegiac double suicide (i teared up!) to a mind-boggling check-in with minor characters set millions of years in the future to a vicious and literally gut-wrenching display of retribution to a surprisingly wry ending (complete with a snappily ironic gotcha moment of role reversal). awesome.
good stuff on its own; amazing when considered as just one piece of the author's Culture novels. my favorite one so far.
February 10, 2017
Back to Iain M. Banks’ phenomenal Culture series of space opera set in a post-scarcity universe where humans are the most powerful known species. Well, not really the humans, but the massive AI entities originally created by humans thousands of years ago. It is quite unusual for humanity to (sort of) be the top dog, this is one of the most unusual features of the Culture universe. Banks’ Culture setting bucks the current trend of dystopian fiction. In this post-scarcity society, all of humanity have the AIs catering to our every whim. Consequently, humans have become decadent, self-indulgent, and quite ineffectual. The AIs run everything, fortunately, they are loyal to and very protective of, the descendants of their creators.
Books in the Culture series are standalones and do not need to be read in any order*. Like most Culture book, Look To Windward has a complicated (but not convoluted) plot which is hard to summarize. If you want a detailed synopsis, have a look at the lengthy official one from the publisher. In a nutshell, Major Quilan, a Chelgrian (alien) war veteran is on a mission so secret the objective has been temporarily wiped from his memory, the details of the mission to gradually resurface as he progresses toward its completion. In the meantime, renowned Chelgrian composer Mahrai Ziller is living in the Masaq' Orbital, an artificial world, and a part of the Culture empire. He is about to conduct his latest musical masterpiece at this orbital. These two developments are related and billions of lives are at stake.
Iain M. Banks was† a more literary writer than most sci-fi authors, he has also published successful novels in the mainstream. However, as he was more ambitious with his prose than most authors in this genre it takes a little more effort to read his books, compared to the likes of Clarke or Asimov who were more concerned with writing clear, accessible narratives. Banks was also more concerned with telling intelligent, thought provoking stories than a page turner. For me, this sometimes means it takes longer to immerse into his narrative and the pacing is not always so compelling. More than half of Look To Windward seems to consist of dialogue. Generally very well written dialogue but sometimes I just want the characters to shut up and do something.
That said the narrative shifts into high gear towards the book’s conclusion and the climax really is worth the wait. Banks is always full of surprises. Culture novels are always a feast for the imagination. The Minds (gigantic sentient AIs) and the drones (highly advanced sentient robots with full legal rights as citizens of The Culture) are always great to come back to the series for. In this book, we are also treated to weird new alien species and cultures. My favorite is the “dirigible behemothaur”, a race of massive biological spaceships with bizarre biotech. Character development is often lacking in sci-fi novels (not always to the books’ detriment, some books just don’t need it), but Banks never skimp on this, his central characters are always complex and believable. While Major Quilan is clearly up to no good with his super secret mission he is surprisingly sympathetic, and you can’t help but things turn out well for him personally.
Pacing issues notwithstanding, Look To Windward is another good read from the Culture series, it does require some patience and commitment but if you have read a few Culture books beforehand you will come to trust Iain M. Banks (RIP) to deliver something worthwhile by the end of the book and he never fails.
_____________
* Some Culture novels are better starting point than others. Personally, I recommend The Player of Games, IMO the very best Culture novel. Consider Phlebas is the first book in the series, I like it but Culture fans tend to regard it as a poor start to an excellent series.
† Mr. Banks is no longer with us :_(. Fortunately, he was quite prolific and if you are just starting on the Culture series you are in for a treat and I kind of envy you. For some reason whenever I finish a Culture novel I start thinking about which Culture novel to read the next time I come around to the series again. There is something very addictive about this series that keep reeling me back every few months.
New to the series? Here is the Guardian's Top Five Iain M. Banks novels.
_____________
Quotes:
“Before, we believed that the soul might be saved. Now our technology, our better understanding of the universe and our vanguard in the beyond, has robbed us of our unreal hopes and replaced them with its own rules and regulations, its own algebra of salvation and continuance. It has given us a glimpse of heaven, and made more intense the reality of our despair when we know that truly it exists and that those we love will never be found there.”
(In the Culture universe heaven and hell are real – but virtual - places, digitized “souls” can be sent (uploaded) to.
“Symbols are important, symbols do work. And when the symbol is a person then the symbol becomes … dirigible. A symbolic person can to some extent symbolic person can to some extent steer their own course, determine not just their own fate but that of their society. At any rate, they will argue that your society, your whole civilization, needs to make peace with its most famous dissident so that it can make peace with itself, and so rebuild.”
“The action of averting his face from others when eating had become habitual; members of Kabe’s species had very big mouths and some humans found the sight of him eating alarming.”
“They spend time. That’s just it. They spend time traveling. The time weighs heavily on them because they lack any context, any valid framework for their lives. They persist in hoping that something they think they’ll find in the place they’re heading for will somehow provide them with a fulfilment they feel certain they deserve and yet have never come close to experiencing.”
‘In the old days people died and that was that; you might hope to see them in heaven, but once they were dead they were dead. It was simple, it was definite. Now . . .’ He shook his head angrily. ‘Now people die but their Soulkeeper can revive them, or take them to a heaven we know exists, without any need for faith. We have clones, we have regrown bodies - most of me is regrown; I wake up sometimes and think, Am I still me? I know you’re supposed to be your brain, your wits, your thoughts, but I don’t believe it is that simple.’
Books in the Culture series are standalones and do not need to be read in any order*. Like most Culture book, Look To Windward has a complicated (but not convoluted) plot which is hard to summarize. If you want a detailed synopsis, have a look at the lengthy official one from the publisher. In a nutshell, Major Quilan, a Chelgrian (alien) war veteran is on a mission so secret the objective has been temporarily wiped from his memory, the details of the mission to gradually resurface as he progresses toward its completion. In the meantime, renowned Chelgrian composer Mahrai Ziller is living in the Masaq' Orbital, an artificial world, and a part of the Culture empire. He is about to conduct his latest musical masterpiece at this orbital. These two developments are related and billions of lives are at stake.
Iain M. Banks was† a more literary writer than most sci-fi authors, he has also published successful novels in the mainstream. However, as he was more ambitious with his prose than most authors in this genre it takes a little more effort to read his books, compared to the likes of Clarke or Asimov who were more concerned with writing clear, accessible narratives. Banks was also more concerned with telling intelligent, thought provoking stories than a page turner. For me, this sometimes means it takes longer to immerse into his narrative and the pacing is not always so compelling. More than half of Look To Windward seems to consist of dialogue. Generally very well written dialogue but sometimes I just want the characters to shut up and do something.
That said the narrative shifts into high gear towards the book’s conclusion and the climax really is worth the wait. Banks is always full of surprises. Culture novels are always a feast for the imagination. The Minds (gigantic sentient AIs) and the drones (highly advanced sentient robots with full legal rights as citizens of The Culture) are always great to come back to the series for. In this book, we are also treated to weird new alien species and cultures. My favorite is the “dirigible behemothaur”, a race of massive biological spaceships with bizarre biotech. Character development is often lacking in sci-fi novels (not always to the books’ detriment, some books just don’t need it), but Banks never skimp on this, his central characters are always complex and believable. While Major Quilan is clearly up to no good with his super secret mission he is surprisingly sympathetic, and you can’t help but things turn out well for him personally.
Pacing issues notwithstanding, Look To Windward is another good read from the Culture series, it does require some patience and commitment but if you have read a few Culture books beforehand you will come to trust Iain M. Banks (RIP) to deliver something worthwhile by the end of the book and he never fails.
_____________
* Some Culture novels are better starting point than others. Personally, I recommend The Player of Games, IMO the very best Culture novel. Consider Phlebas is the first book in the series, I like it but Culture fans tend to regard it as a poor start to an excellent series.
† Mr. Banks is no longer with us :_(. Fortunately, he was quite prolific and if you are just starting on the Culture series you are in for a treat and I kind of envy you. For some reason whenever I finish a Culture novel I start thinking about which Culture novel to read the next time I come around to the series again. There is something very addictive about this series that keep reeling me back every few months.
New to the series? Here is the Guardian's Top Five Iain M. Banks novels.
_____________
Quotes:
“Before, we believed that the soul might be saved. Now our technology, our better understanding of the universe and our vanguard in the beyond, has robbed us of our unreal hopes and replaced them with its own rules and regulations, its own algebra of salvation and continuance. It has given us a glimpse of heaven, and made more intense the reality of our despair when we know that truly it exists and that those we love will never be found there.”
(In the Culture universe heaven and hell are real – but virtual - places, digitized “souls” can be sent (uploaded) to.
“Symbols are important, symbols do work. And when the symbol is a person then the symbol becomes … dirigible. A symbolic person can to some extent symbolic person can to some extent steer their own course, determine not just their own fate but that of their society. At any rate, they will argue that your society, your whole civilization, needs to make peace with its most famous dissident so that it can make peace with itself, and so rebuild.”
“The action of averting his face from others when eating had become habitual; members of Kabe’s species had very big mouths and some humans found the sight of him eating alarming.”
“They spend time. That’s just it. They spend time traveling. The time weighs heavily on them because they lack any context, any valid framework for their lives. They persist in hoping that something they think they’ll find in the place they’re heading for will somehow provide them with a fulfilment they feel certain they deserve and yet have never come close to experiencing.”
‘In the old days people died and that was that; you might hope to see them in heaven, but once they were dead they were dead. It was simple, it was definite. Now . . .’ He shook his head angrily. ‘Now people die but their Soulkeeper can revive them, or take them to a heaven we know exists, without any need for faith. We have clones, we have regrown bodies - most of me is regrown; I wake up sometimes and think, Am I still me? I know you’re supposed to be your brain, your wits, your thoughts, but I don’t believe it is that simple.’
October 26, 2012
Brad: If you were a GSV (General Systems Vehicle), what would you call yourself?
Brad: Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale"
Brad: If you were a GCV (General Contact Vehicle), what would you call yourself?
Brad: Inoculate by Means of Blankets
Brad: If you were a GOV (General Offensive Unit), what would you call yourself?
Brad: Process of Peace and Reconciliation
Brad: If you were a VFP (Very Fast Picket), what would you call yourself?
Brad: Cerebrovascular Accident
Brad: If you were an Orbital, what would you call yourself?
Brad: S'qulett Orbital, so why are you asking me what I'd call myself?
Brad: Because you can't review this book. It exhausted you, and there is too much to say.
Brad: It made me cry.
Brad: It did. Why give it four stars? Why not five? You love this book.
Brad: I do.
Brad: So why?
Brad: Because of all the Culture books it is the least accessible.
Brad: I thought it was accessible.
Brad: But you've read the preceding Culture books.
Brad: You have.
Brad: Okay, I have, but this book was written for people who've read the preceding books. It is not a book one can come to without knowledge.
Brad: Why is that a problem?
Brad: It's not, but I feel compelled --
Brad: --To what?! Criticize a book because it's not for everyone.
Brad: Something like that.
Brad: Cause it is for everyone if they do the work to get here.
Brad: I'd rather just keep this book for mark and me.
Brad: Impossible.
Brad: If only I could gland you into silence.
Brad: Will wine do?
Brad: It'll have to.
Brad: Say g'night, Cerebrovascular Accident.
Brad: G'night, Cerebrovascular Accident.
Brad: Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale"
Brad: If you were a GCV (General Contact Vehicle), what would you call yourself?
Brad: Inoculate by Means of Blankets
Brad: If you were a GOV (General Offensive Unit), what would you call yourself?
Brad: Process of Peace and Reconciliation
Brad: If you were a VFP (Very Fast Picket), what would you call yourself?
Brad: Cerebrovascular Accident
Brad: If you were an Orbital, what would you call yourself?
Brad: S'qulett Orbital, so why are you asking me what I'd call myself?
Brad: Because you can't review this book. It exhausted you, and there is too much to say.
Brad: It made me cry.
Brad: It did. Why give it four stars? Why not five? You love this book.
Brad: I do.
Brad: So why?
Brad: Because of all the Culture books it is the least accessible.
Brad: I thought it was accessible.
Brad: But you've read the preceding Culture books.
Brad: You have.
Brad: Okay, I have, but this book was written for people who've read the preceding books. It is not a book one can come to without knowledge.
Brad: Why is that a problem?
Brad: It's not, but I feel compelled --
Brad: --To what?! Criticize a book because it's not for everyone.
Brad: Something like that.
Brad: Cause it is for everyone if they do the work to get here.
Brad: I'd rather just keep this book for mark and me.
Brad: Impossible.
Brad: If only I could gland you into silence.
Brad: Will wine do?
Brad: It'll have to.
Brad: Say g'night, Cerebrovascular Accident.
Brad: G'night, Cerebrovascular Accident.
February 9, 2017
Look no further if you're looking for a tale of fantastically huge sources and end results of regret, suicide, the negation of life-affirmation, exploding suns, and excellent tales of love between non-humanoid sentients and nearly god-like Minds.
This is a Culture novel. Ian M. Banks had ten of them before his death and he's known equally well for his hard SF as for his standard fiction, strangely enough.
It shows in this one. I have to admit that I was very impressed by the technological fantastics going on this this novel. Even down to the evacuation of three enormous orbitals in preparation to kill the world-spanning AI Minds, even as a memory 800 years past, was shocking and very disturbing.
The rest of the novel might have benefited from some tightening, as a whole, but in general, I loved being on the planet that would celebrate survival and a symphony just as the light of a few novas finally reached their star system, commemorating the end of an enormously costly conflict between themselves and the Culture as it finally caught up to them at light-speed.
But what of the plot? It's suicide missions, baby, on both sides. Do you really think that such conflicts end so easily, so restfully? Motivations are complicated and hate runs deep. Maybe not on the Culture's side, of course. They're pretty much above or beyond such petty things, even when the death toll is in the billions. They've got a lot more population than just that to consider.
But as for the other high-tech civilizations that still consider themselves impressive when they count their age in terms of mere thousands of years instead of complete revolutions of the galaxy, by hundreds of thousands of years? Well, they tend to be outclassed and out-thought by these nearly god-like AIs devoted to making sure all the citizens of the Culture are happy.
Of course, that doesn't stop grand gestures from giving everyone a really bad day.
This is a rather freakishly impressive novel on several levels and it marks a serious return to huge scopes in the series, but some things did still kind of drag, unfortunately.
Not that I really cared when the emotions started getting to me. :)
This is a Culture novel. Ian M. Banks had ten of them before his death and he's known equally well for his hard SF as for his standard fiction, strangely enough.
It shows in this one. I have to admit that I was very impressed by the technological fantastics going on this this novel. Even down to the evacuation of three enormous orbitals in preparation to kill the world-spanning AI Minds, even as a memory 800 years past, was shocking and very disturbing.
The rest of the novel might have benefited from some tightening, as a whole, but in general, I loved being on the planet that would celebrate survival and a symphony just as the light of a few novas finally reached their star system, commemorating the end of an enormously costly conflict between themselves and the Culture as it finally caught up to them at light-speed.
But what of the plot? It's suicide missions, baby, on both sides. Do you really think that such conflicts end so easily, so restfully? Motivations are complicated and hate runs deep. Maybe not on the Culture's side, of course. They're pretty much above or beyond such petty things, even when the death toll is in the billions. They've got a lot more population than just that to consider.
But as for the other high-tech civilizations that still consider themselves impressive when they count their age in terms of mere thousands of years instead of complete revolutions of the galaxy, by hundreds of thousands of years? Well, they tend to be outclassed and out-thought by these nearly god-like AIs devoted to making sure all the citizens of the Culture are happy.
Of course, that doesn't stop grand gestures from giving everyone a really bad day.
This is a rather freakishly impressive novel on several levels and it marks a serious return to huge scopes in the series, but some things did still kind of drag, unfortunately.
Not that I really cared when the emotions started getting to me. :)
August 3, 2009
Amazing. My second Culture novel after The Player of Games, and I think I'm at a point where I'm going to be ravenously devouring them. Like many others have mentioned, this is a novel about loss and mourning -- thinking back on the events of the book, not much actually happens, but Banks uses enough narrative shift and experiments with perspective that it always remains fascinating. Part of the joy in reading these books is just for the world-building, honestly. And as always, his aliens are a delight; the airsphere chapters and behemothaurs are some of the most interesting things I've ever read. The cast of characters was solid and I was always happy to learn more about them and the societies/histories attached to them.
And bonus: one of the near-final chapters had me in almost constant tears, sitting on a bus in public. Beautifully written. Beautifully done. The plot trundled onwards towards the tribute symphony, and I felt an amazing sense of satisfaction and remorse when it reached that point. The Culture is both alien but also so very human, in all our mistakes and risks and sorrow and manipulation and meddling, and I love it.
And can we take a moment to mention just how awesome Ziller is? Yes.
And bonus: one of the near-final chapters had me in almost constant tears, sitting on a bus in public. Beautifully written. Beautifully done. The plot trundled onwards towards the tribute symphony, and I felt an amazing sense of satisfaction and remorse when it reached that point. The Culture is both alien but also so very human, in all our mistakes and risks and sorrow and manipulation and meddling, and I love it.
And can we take a moment to mention just how awesome Ziller is? Yes.
July 3, 2025
4,5/5 stars
November 10, 2011
Say hello to Kabe (pronounced Ka - beh), a tripedal, three-and-a-half meter tall triangular bulk of politely plodding philosophical awesomeness, who can stand so perfectly still while lost in thought that silly humans often mistake him for some sort of humongous, statuesque work of art. Also, mistakenly, even though he’s a Homondon (a vegetarian species), Kabe’s very large mouth makes the sight of him eating distinctly alarming.
These outwardly endearing qualities are hardly the extent of adorableness that is Ambassador Kabe Ischloear. Here’s an excerpt of him traipsing through the snow:
He could hear his own footsteps as they sank into the untouched whiteness. Each step made a creaking noise. […]
He looked back at his tracks in the sow covering the canal path. Three lines of footprints. He wondered what a human – what any bipedal – would make of such a trail. Probably, he suspected, they would not notice. Even if they did, they would just ask and instantly be told […]
Ah, so little mystery these days. Kabe looked around, then quickly did a little hopping, shuffling dance, executing the steps with a delicacy belying his bulk and weight. He glanced about again, and was glad to have, apparently, escaped observation. He studied the pattern his dance had left in the snow. That was better… But what had he been thinking of? The snow, and its silence.
Yes, Kabe is hilarious. He spends pages locked in philosophical debate with Ziller (a cantankerous misanthrope and composer living in exile on a Culture Orbital – which is a ring-shaped world with the surface and continents of a planet, a bit like Halo), and Kabe listens, pondering his surroundings with a prodigious sense of humor.
This is the first Culture novel that I gave five stars, since I was never bored.
Look to Windward is a deeply philosophical book. At one point, Hub, the sentience directing the Culture Orbital and its surrounding Solar System where a lot of the action plays out, explains what it’s like to be a Mind, an AI a trillion times cleverer than we; the perspective of death, of responsibility, of shame and kindness and other concepts that result from that small foray into the depths of every sentient soul…
This book deals with suicide, bereavement, and religious rationalization of mass violence; with the mores of life in a technologically unlimited anarchist utopia. And oh, does it succeed, and more.
One thing, I got through almost half the novel before I realized how totally awesome it was, and went back to re-read many parts a second time with a much deeper appreciation for the characters and subtle waves below the surface.
The ending is pretty much amazing.
Read this now, or next time you’re in a deeply philosophical mood.
These outwardly endearing qualities are hardly the extent of adorableness that is Ambassador Kabe Ischloear. Here’s an excerpt of him traipsing through the snow:
He could hear his own footsteps as they sank into the untouched whiteness. Each step made a creaking noise. […]
He looked back at his tracks in the sow covering the canal path. Three lines of footprints. He wondered what a human – what any bipedal – would make of such a trail. Probably, he suspected, they would not notice. Even if they did, they would just ask and instantly be told […]
Ah, so little mystery these days. Kabe looked around, then quickly did a little hopping, shuffling dance, executing the steps with a delicacy belying his bulk and weight. He glanced about again, and was glad to have, apparently, escaped observation. He studied the pattern his dance had left in the snow. That was better… But what had he been thinking of? The snow, and its silence.
Yes, Kabe is hilarious. He spends pages locked in philosophical debate with Ziller (a cantankerous misanthrope and composer living in exile on a Culture Orbital – which is a ring-shaped world with the surface and continents of a planet, a bit like Halo), and Kabe listens, pondering his surroundings with a prodigious sense of humor.
This is the first Culture novel that I gave five stars, since I was never bored.
Look to Windward is a deeply philosophical book. At one point, Hub, the sentience directing the Culture Orbital and its surrounding Solar System where a lot of the action plays out, explains what it’s like to be a Mind, an AI a trillion times cleverer than we; the perspective of death, of responsibility, of shame and kindness and other concepts that result from that small foray into the depths of every sentient soul…
This book deals with suicide, bereavement, and religious rationalization of mass violence; with the mores of life in a technologically unlimited anarchist utopia. And oh, does it succeed, and more.
One thing, I got through almost half the novel before I realized how totally awesome it was, and went back to re-read many parts a second time with a much deeper appreciation for the characters and subtle waves below the surface.
The ending is pretty much amazing.
Read this now, or next time you’re in a deeply philosophical mood.
February 2, 2024
It took me some effort to get into this one. Look To Windward takes very long to start revealing its plot. Fully the first half of the novel is comprised of rambling sequences of, what amounts to, sight-seeing of the Masaq’ orbital ring, and loads of dialogue. I was just starting to get worried, but I needn’t have feared: this is a Culture novel after all…
‘Oh, they never lie. They dissemble, evade, prevaricate, confound, confuse, distract, obscure, subtly misrepresent and wilfully misunderstand with what often appears to be a positively gleeful relish and are generally perfectly capable of contriving to give one an utterly unambiguous impression of their future course of action while in fact intending to do exactly the opposite, but they never lie. Perish the thought.’
Once the book does start revealing its secrets it turns out to be quite entertaining (although some patience is required). The world building is obviously excellent, and the novel also provides some background regarding the Idiran-Culture conflict (apparently Look To Windward was intended to be a sequel-of-sorts to Consider Phlebas, although there aren’t recurring characters).
I fully intend to spend the rest of my existence here, for as long as I’m needed, or until I’m no longer welcome, forever keeping an eye to windward for approaching storms and just generally protecting this quaint circle of fragile little bodies and the vulnerable little brains they house from whatever harm a big dumb mechanical universe or any consciously malevolent force might happen or wish to visit upon them, specifically because I know how appallingly easy they are to destroy.
In the end it was what I had expected. A Culture novel, with some thoughtful underpinnings regarding Culture philosophy. Probably not the best one I’ve read so far, but that’s not saying a lot given the class of these novels (even an arguably “not-so-good” Culture novel is going to be better than most of the other stuff out there).
-------------
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.
- T. S. Eliot, ‘The Waste Land’, IV
‘Oh, they never lie. They dissemble, evade, prevaricate, confound, confuse, distract, obscure, subtly misrepresent and wilfully misunderstand with what often appears to be a positively gleeful relish and are generally perfectly capable of contriving to give one an utterly unambiguous impression of their future course of action while in fact intending to do exactly the opposite, but they never lie. Perish the thought.’
Once the book does start revealing its secrets it turns out to be quite entertaining (although some patience is required). The world building is obviously excellent, and the novel also provides some background regarding the Idiran-Culture conflict (apparently Look To Windward was intended to be a sequel-of-sorts to Consider Phlebas, although there aren’t recurring characters).
I fully intend to spend the rest of my existence here, for as long as I’m needed, or until I’m no longer welcome, forever keeping an eye to windward for approaching storms and just generally protecting this quaint circle of fragile little bodies and the vulnerable little brains they house from whatever harm a big dumb mechanical universe or any consciously malevolent force might happen or wish to visit upon them, specifically because I know how appallingly easy they are to destroy.
In the end it was what I had expected. A Culture novel, with some thoughtful underpinnings regarding Culture philosophy. Probably not the best one I’ve read so far, but that’s not saying a lot given the class of these novels (even an arguably “not-so-good” Culture novel is going to be better than most of the other stuff out there).
-------------
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.
- T. S. Eliot, ‘The Waste Land’, IV
February 18, 2011
This is a book about mourning and regret, set in the universe of Banks's Culture series. There are several interwoven subplots, two of which display remarkable technical virtuosity. The first is a moving love story between completely non-human extraterrestrial creatures; I think it's the only successful example I've ever come across. Some of the flashbacks where Quilan recalls his lost love brought tears to my eyes. I'm not sure how the author did it, and I liked it enough that I'd rather not pick at the illusion. I was also impressed with the companion thread about the Mind, and its terrible feelings of guilt for the things it has done during the Idiran war 800 years earlier; without apparent effort, Banks succeeds in making the reader empathize strongly with a disembodied, superintelligent, artificial intelligence. These two themes eventually link up in a satisfying way, to create a powerful ending.
If the rest of the book had come out equally well, it would have been a masterpiece. From what I have seen in interviews, Banks used to do a lot of rewriting at the beginning of his career. I think he said somewhere that he completely rewrote Use of Weapons after a first draft that he was very dissatisfied with, and the final result is indeed one of his best books. Unfortunately, by the time he reached Look to Windward, he had a loyal fan base who would buy anything he published, and I suppose he didn't feel as motivated any more. A pity.
If the rest of the book had come out equally well, it would have been a masterpiece. From what I have seen in interviews, Banks used to do a lot of rewriting at the beginning of his career. I think he said somewhere that he completely rewrote Use of Weapons after a first draft that he was very dissatisfied with, and the final result is indeed one of his best books. Unfortunately, by the time he reached Look to Windward, he had a loyal fan base who would buy anything he published, and I suppose he didn't feel as motivated any more. A pity.
December 16, 2013
Iain Banks died earlier this year, and what a huge loss to the science fiction community it was. Out of all the Culture novels he had written, I had read all but one...this one. I figured I'd end the year by visiting his wonderful universe again for one last new adventure - something that will never happen again.
If you're interested in his Culture series (you should be), don't start here, as it is actually a loosely connected sequel to Consider Phlebas, the very first Culture novel, and shock waves (literally) from that book are felt in this one. That being said, this was a beautiful book with all of the splendid prose and quirky, funny, and caring characters that readers have come to expect from an Iain Banks novel. There is hardly any action here, but it isn't needed. In the best way, this is philosophical sci-fi, with questions raised on nearly every page that make you stop and think.
Look to Windward was his quietest, most personal Culture novel. Instead of going out with a loud bang, this series fades away, for me, into the cosmos with a quiet whisper - I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
Cheers, Iain. You wrote perfect science fiction, and I figure your like will not be around again for quite some time. Enjoy being out there in the stars.
If you're interested in his Culture series (you should be), don't start here, as it is actually a loosely connected sequel to Consider Phlebas, the very first Culture novel, and shock waves (literally) from that book are felt in this one. That being said, this was a beautiful book with all of the splendid prose and quirky, funny, and caring characters that readers have come to expect from an Iain Banks novel. There is hardly any action here, but it isn't needed. In the best way, this is philosophical sci-fi, with questions raised on nearly every page that make you stop and think.
Look to Windward was his quietest, most personal Culture novel. Instead of going out with a loud bang, this series fades away, for me, into the cosmos with a quiet whisper - I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
Cheers, Iain. You wrote perfect science fiction, and I figure your like will not be around again for quite some time. Enjoy being out there in the stars.
May 12, 2024
This was a beautiful Culture book that decries war and just does a fabulous job as a space opera of creating a plethora of characters that could all have their own books. We learn more about the Culture and its denizens and naysayers and are transported far and wide with willing participants and their drones. Fascinating.
Fino Reviews Iain M Banks Sci-Fi and Culture series
Culture Series
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Non-Culture Sci-Fi
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Fino Reviews Iain M Banks Sci-Fi and Culture series
Culture Series
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Non-Culture Sci-Fi
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 8, 2022
Banks dedicated this to Gulf War veterans and I can see why. Culture novels vary tremendously regarding themes, plots, characters, what have you, the only real link being how they are set in the same universe. Here, Banks takes us on a rather philosophical journey involving war, suicide bombers, grief, resilience, love and duty saturated with a rather melancholy prose and plot. Quite a ride!
Largely set on the gigantic Orbital Masaq' (these make Niven's Ringworld look quaint), Banks starts Look To Windward with a war zone, and a couple trapped in a bomb crater. The couple are Chels, aliens-- furry critters that for 1000s of years lived in a strict caste bound society. The Culture, via Special Circumstances, helped elect a reform party to erode the caste system, bu the result was not peace and prosperity, but a bloody civil war as the downtrodden castes sought their revenge. Billions died. Quilan, introduced in the prologue crater scene, managed to survive although his wife died in the war. Beset with grief, Quilan moved to a monastery. Meanwhile, Ziller, a famous Chel composer, left the Chel realm before the war, renouncing the caste system and indeed, his entire society. He now lives on Masaq'...
The Mind in charge of Masaq' induces Ziller to compose an symphony to honor the last major war the Culture engaged in, hundreds of years ago. In that war ( discussed in Consider Phlebas, several stars were exploded (killing billions) and the light of their destruction will reach Masaq' soon; Ziller's symphony will be performed on Masaq' right when the light from the Nova appears. Something of a homage to the war and the dead...
Enough of the plot. I stated Look to Windward constitutes a rather philosophical turn for Banks surrounding the idea of war, but focused on the survivors of such conflict; the people who lost loved ones and sometimes their way of life. Chel society is rather tragic here; the reforms pushed by Culture lead to a devastating civil war. The Culture's war with the Idrians cost billions of lives and for what? Most excellent war novels are really highly antiwar and Look to Windward certainly fits into this genre. RIP Banks, you are surely missed. 4.5 stars, rounding up!
Largely set on the gigantic Orbital Masaq' (these make Niven's Ringworld look quaint), Banks starts Look To Windward with a war zone, and a couple trapped in a bomb crater. The couple are Chels, aliens-- furry critters that for 1000s of years lived in a strict caste bound society. The Culture, via Special Circumstances, helped elect a reform party to erode the caste system, bu the result was not peace and prosperity, but a bloody civil war as the downtrodden castes sought their revenge. Billions died. Quilan, introduced in the prologue crater scene, managed to survive although his wife died in the war. Beset with grief, Quilan moved to a monastery. Meanwhile, Ziller, a famous Chel composer, left the Chel realm before the war, renouncing the caste system and indeed, his entire society. He now lives on Masaq'...
The Mind in charge of Masaq' induces Ziller to compose an symphony to honor the last major war the Culture engaged in, hundreds of years ago. In that war ( discussed in Consider Phlebas, several stars were exploded (killing billions) and the light of their destruction will reach Masaq' soon; Ziller's symphony will be performed on Masaq' right when the light from the Nova appears. Something of a homage to the war and the dead...
Enough of the plot. I stated Look to Windward constitutes a rather philosophical turn for Banks surrounding the idea of war, but focused on the survivors of such conflict; the people who lost loved ones and sometimes their way of life. Chel society is rather tragic here; the reforms pushed by Culture lead to a devastating civil war. The Culture's war with the Idrians cost billions of lives and for what? Most excellent war novels are really highly antiwar and Look to Windward certainly fits into this genre. RIP Banks, you are surely missed. 4.5 stars, rounding up!
May 29, 2024
This is book seven of Iain M. Banks Culture Series published in 2000. It’s a simple plot told in the ever-expanding Culture Universe. I’m really torn on this novel, it started slow and seemed to lack a strong story, but it’s also one of his stronger themed tales and the story picked up pace and my interest in the final third.
Mahrai Ziller, a Chelgrian composer has left his home world for the safety and comfort of Culture. He is adored, almost worshiped by the Culture and has been tasked with writing a commemorative work to honor the memory of a horrific battle from the Culture/Idiran war.
Quilan, a Chelgrian fighter, nearly lost his life in a one-sided battle. He survived but found he lost the love of his life in that same battle. Chelgrian High Command decide he’s the perfect candidate to convince composer Ziller to return to Chelgian’s home world – Chel.
Early on, we learn (over and over again) that Ziller stubbornly refuses to meet with any of his Chelgrian comrades and especially not Quilan – who he fears might have been secretly sent to assassinate him. For my tastes, the plot really drags in the first half of the book, except for a fascinating side-quest following ancient, sentient, dirigible behemoths (that I imagined as some type of Kaiju) on a bizarre alien planet. There’s also a fun digression on ship names (a running Culture series gag) that displays Bank’s cleverness.
So, I enjoyed the final third of the book, it was exciting and intriguing. I appreciated the exploration of the theme. War is messy, uncertain, and leaves behind a trail of both physical and psychological trauma. The Culture, with all its brilliance and morals, is not immune from this. I also enjoyed the Culture world building, getting more insight on things like Orbitals and Hub minds.
However, the first two thirds of the book were slow, it’s a long build-up to an average plot. Ziller is a great character, but the rest are flat. And I despised the final ending. It seemed to make all the build-up and stakes nearly meaningless. Unfortunately, I can’t say more without major spoilers.
Four stars for this tale of echoes of long past galactic war. A slow starting space opera with a worthy theme of the damage of war to society and to survivors.
Mahrai Ziller, a Chelgrian composer has left his home world for the safety and comfort of Culture. He is adored, almost worshiped by the Culture and has been tasked with writing a commemorative work to honor the memory of a horrific battle from the Culture/Idiran war.
Quilan, a Chelgrian fighter, nearly lost his life in a one-sided battle. He survived but found he lost the love of his life in that same battle. Chelgrian High Command decide he’s the perfect candidate to convince composer Ziller to return to Chelgian’s home world – Chel.
Early on, we learn (over and over again) that Ziller stubbornly refuses to meet with any of his Chelgrian comrades and especially not Quilan – who he fears might have been secretly sent to assassinate him. For my tastes, the plot really drags in the first half of the book, except for a fascinating side-quest following ancient, sentient, dirigible behemoths (that I imagined as some type of Kaiju) on a bizarre alien planet. There’s also a fun digression on ship names (a running Culture series gag) that displays Bank’s cleverness.
So, I enjoyed the final third of the book, it was exciting and intriguing. I appreciated the exploration of the theme. War is messy, uncertain, and leaves behind a trail of both physical and psychological trauma. The Culture, with all its brilliance and morals, is not immune from this. I also enjoyed the Culture world building, getting more insight on things like Orbitals and Hub minds.
However, the first two thirds of the book were slow, it’s a long build-up to an average plot. Ziller is a great character, but the rest are flat. And I despised the final ending. It seemed to make all the build-up and stakes nearly meaningless. Unfortunately, I can’t say more without major spoilers.
Four stars for this tale of echoes of long past galactic war. A slow starting space opera with a worthy theme of the damage of war to society and to survivors.
July 1, 2023
Four and a half stars.
Magnificent space opera. For me one of the best of the Culture series.
Magnificent space opera. For me one of the best of the Culture series.
March 19, 2021
Last year, I read Inversions which was very different from the other Culture novels, so I approached this installment with curiosity. I needn't have worried. Here I found the usual AI minds, sentient space ships, smug drones, and a selection of Culture humans and assorted other beings. I must hand it to Banks, he was able to envision lives, ways of life, and potential non-humans in great profusion and detail.
We also get to kind of circle back to the initial Culture novel, Consider Phlebas, as this book deals with some of the aftermath of the Idrian war which featured in that volume. A representative from the world Chel, which suffered heavy losses during this war, comes to the Masaq' Orbital (a habitat which seems to be a more sophisticated version of Niven’s Ringworld), which now houses the Mind of a former Culture combat vehicle active in the war. Ostensibly, this Major Quilan is there to see if he can lure fellow Chellian, Composer Ziller, to return to his home world and the fold. His visit is timed to coincide with the commemoration of the end of the war, sponsored by the Masaq' Orbital with music provided by Ziller.
This is a secret mission story. We get to witness the Major's background and his training for his current mission, with Banks gradually revealing what is going on. Just as I got used to one thing, he would lead me on to other revelations. I appreciate anticipation as a source of engagement and entertainment—the lead up to Christmas is always better for me than the opening of parcels.
Banks also introduces the titanic Behemothaurs, amazing airborne beasts that live slow and die ancient. They initially seemed to be a distraction from the real action, but hang in there. Mr. Banks doesn't waste the reader's time, he uses these fascinating creatures as part of the spy story.
If you enjoyed this book, I would suggest you might also appreciate the Hyperion Cantos of Dan Simmons. There is a similarity to the presence of AIs and marvellous worlds that might appeal.
Book number 399 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.
Cross posted at my blog:
https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...
We also get to kind of circle back to the initial Culture novel, Consider Phlebas, as this book deals with some of the aftermath of the Idrian war which featured in that volume. A representative from the world Chel, which suffered heavy losses during this war, comes to the Masaq' Orbital (a habitat which seems to be a more sophisticated version of Niven’s Ringworld), which now houses the Mind of a former Culture combat vehicle active in the war. Ostensibly, this Major Quilan is there to see if he can lure fellow Chellian, Composer Ziller, to return to his home world and the fold. His visit is timed to coincide with the commemoration of the end of the war, sponsored by the Masaq' Orbital with music provided by Ziller.
This is a secret mission story. We get to witness the Major's background and his training for his current mission, with Banks gradually revealing what is going on. Just as I got used to one thing, he would lead me on to other revelations. I appreciate anticipation as a source of engagement and entertainment—the lead up to Christmas is always better for me than the opening of parcels.
Banks also introduces the titanic Behemothaurs, amazing airborne beasts that live slow and die ancient. They initially seemed to be a distraction from the real action, but hang in there. Mr. Banks doesn't waste the reader's time, he uses these fascinating creatures as part of the spy story.
If you enjoyed this book, I would suggest you might also appreciate the Hyperion Cantos of Dan Simmons. There is a similarity to the presence of AIs and marvellous worlds that might appeal.
Book number 399 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.
Cross posted at my blog:
https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...
November 26, 2021
2019 reread: thoroughly enjoyable, and I'd forgotten enough of the plot-points (and twists) that it seemed like a first-time read. A few highlights:
● The dirigible behemothaurs! The lost stylus! The visiting Culture scholar!
● The world-building -- universe-building, really -- is just amazing. Nobody else in SF has ever done this better, imo.
● I particularly liked the sly nod to Jack Vance in the pylon cableway system in one of the Orbital plate deserts, and its curious history.
● Unlike many Banks novels, this one comes to a
I don't remember much about the Idiran War and the Culture's involvement, but they obviously Done Wrong.
So, probably not the place to start, if you're new to The Culture, but a worthy read (or reread). 4+ stars.
My favorite review here is Julie's, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And here is a great Gerald Jonas review, from 2001, which includes a really good intro to Banks's Culture series: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/07/bo...
Culture links:
http://www.vavatch.co.uk/books/banks/... "A FEW NOTES ON THE CULTURE"
by Iain M Banks. Highly recommended.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital... --Wikipedia's Orbital entry will help you to visualize these structures.
2001 booklog notes: A, low-key but very nice. Reread sometime.
● The dirigible behemothaurs! The lost stylus! The visiting Culture scholar!
● The world-building -- universe-building, really -- is just amazing. Nobody else in SF has ever done this better, imo.
● I particularly liked the sly nod to Jack Vance in the pylon cableway system in one of the Orbital plate deserts, and its curious history.
● Unlike many Banks novels, this one comes to a
I don't remember much about the Idiran War and the Culture's involvement, but they obviously Done Wrong.
So, probably not the place to start, if you're new to The Culture, but a worthy read (or reread). 4+ stars.
My favorite review here is Julie's, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And here is a great Gerald Jonas review, from 2001, which includes a really good intro to Banks's Culture series: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/07/bo...
Culture links:
http://www.vavatch.co.uk/books/banks/... "A FEW NOTES ON THE CULTURE"
by Iain M Banks. Highly recommended.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital... --Wikipedia's Orbital entry will help you to visualize these structures.
2001 booklog notes: A, low-key but very nice. Reread sometime.
June 14, 2019
Another gem in the Culture series. My only regret is that I'm now that much closer to reaching the end of the series, and so I suppose I've been putting this off too long.
This one is a bit more introspective than most, giving a close look at Culture society and politics, primarily from the perspective of alien expats on the outside looking in. It gives a fascinating view of life on one of the massive Culture orbitals, essentially an artificial planet created and managed by a Culture "mind", i.e. an ultra sophisticated AI, in the form of a massive ring (nod to Ringworld).
The story develops as some cross-civilizational intrigue brewing against the backdrop of a recent civil war on a world where a rigid caste system is at the root of some societal turmoil. The Culture's role in that war and the staggering loss of life there is critically examined. The loss and tragedy of war are frequent topics in the Culture series. In fact, he dedicates the book to Gulf War veterans. As always with Banks, the story is masterfully developed and paced and seasoned with his wonderful panache and wry humor.
This one is a bit more introspective than most, giving a close look at Culture society and politics, primarily from the perspective of alien expats on the outside looking in. It gives a fascinating view of life on one of the massive Culture orbitals, essentially an artificial planet created and managed by a Culture "mind", i.e. an ultra sophisticated AI, in the form of a massive ring (nod to Ringworld).
The story develops as some cross-civilizational intrigue brewing against the backdrop of a recent civil war on a world where a rigid caste system is at the root of some societal turmoil. The Culture's role in that war and the staggering loss of life there is critically examined. The loss and tragedy of war are frequent topics in the Culture series. In fact, he dedicates the book to Gulf War veterans. As always with Banks, the story is masterfully developed and paced and seasoned with his wonderful panache and wry humor.
June 6, 2019
Was that the sort of behavior one ought to expect from a mature society? Mortality as a life-style choice?The late Iain M. Banks did not get that choice, it's true—but then no one, least of all Banks, claims that we live in a mature society. Or at least I hope no one's claiming such a ridiculous thing...
—Look to Windward, p.10
The first time I read Look to Windward was sometime in the early Aughts, long before Goodreads even existed, and Banks' science fiction tends to be... slippery, anyway, at least for me. The specifics of his books don't seem to stick well in my mind, compared to those by other writers. And we're not getting any more Banks, so I was glad to be reminded recently by Peter T. (thanks!) that this is one I could reread.
In short, this novel felt new to me all over again.
*
Look to Windward is "a Culture novel," and if you don't already know what that means, this book is probably not the best place to start with that branch of Banks' fiction—even though Banks is quite adept at incluing. You see, Banks didn't write series, as such (despite the "Culture #7" tag you'll probably see tacked onto this very volume's title). Each Culture novel stands on its own, but even so there are more introductory entry points than this one. Most (but of course not all) people seem to agree, for example, that The Player of Games is a good start, or you could consider Consider Phlebas, whose title is taken from the same T.S. Eliot passage as Look to Windward's.
But for those who want to just dive right into this one—I wouldn't try to talk you out of that, either. After all, Look to Windward is a great book, one of the best—if not the best—Culture books. You'll pick up the threads as you go along. Probably.
*
To the extent that there's a central character in Look to Windward, it's Mahrai Ziller, a galactically-famous Chelgrian composer currently living in self-imposed exile on Masaq', one of the Culture's Orbitals (a Ringworld, more or less), about 800 light years away from Chel, Ziller's home system. Chel is decidedly not part of the Culture, and in fact was affiliated with the other side in the recently-concluded war between the Idirans and the Culture. Also, Chel's own recent civil war was, to put it bluntly, the Culture's fault, precipitated by its well-intended meddling in the rigid Chelgrian caste system that Ziller renounced. Which makes Ziller, at least to some minds, a traitor to his entire species.
Another Chelgrian, whose full name is Called-to-Arms-from-Given Major Quilan IV of Itirewein, has been sent to Masaq', to persuade Ziller to return from his proud exile. Quil's mission seems unlikely to succeed, since Chel hasn't given up its caste system, and since Ziller won't even go within millions of miles of Quilan when the latter gets to Masaq' (there's a lot of room to avoid someone on an Orbital, if you really want to...).
There's also a major anniversary coming up. Mahrai Ziller has accepted a commission from Masaq's Hub, the Orbital's controlling intelligence, to compose a symphony memorializing the Twin Novae. The light of those stellar explosions—which were not a natural event—will soon be reaching Masaq', after just about... 800 years.
Nothing about this is coincidence, of course... and none of this even scratches the surface of what's in Look to Windward—I haven't even mentioned the dirigible behemothaurs, for instance, much less why they're relevant, or why Quilan's in mourning, or... well, let's just say that, as in any Culture novel, Banks keeps a lot of plates spinning in this one.
*
So, what makes the Culture so special, anyway? After all, it's just another post-scarcity high-tech science-fictional utopia, a sprawling starfaring civilization of like-minded beings (many of them recognizably human even where their histories, shapes or underlying substrates are anything but), where anyone can be, or do, almost anything—as long as it doesn't ruin things for the rest of us. (Heh... he said "us.") The Culture is just about as perfect a society as it's possible to imagine.
Of course, perfection is boring—which is why the action in a Culture novel always happens at the edges, where the Culture rubs up against other, less-enlightened cultures. And, even when it's not trying to interfere with those small-c cultures, the Culture still tends to exert a great deal of... influence:
~ I can see I have a lot of catching up to do with the latest terminology. What does metalogical mean?
~ It is short for psycho-physio-philosophilogical.
~ Well, naturally. Of course it is. Glad I asked.
~ It is a Culture term.
~ A fucking Culture term?
~ Yes, sir.
~ I see. And what the hell does this metalogical section of ours actually do?
~ It tries to tell us how other Involveds think.
~ Involveds?
~ Also one of their terms. It means space-faring species beyond a certain technological level which are willing and able to interact with each other.
~ I see. Always a bad sign when you start using the enemy's terminology.
—pp.64-65
So, what makes the Culture so special, anyway? Ultimately, it's not the whiz-bang technology, or the endlessly-exfoliating worldbuilding, or the witty banter, or the funny Ship names, although there's certainly a lot of all that in Look to Windward. It's not even the schadenfreude of seeing our own amusing foibles from such a detached viewpoint, although Banks excels—he's certainly the best I've ever run across—at showing us just what the Culture looks like from outside (hint: not nearly as perfect as from the inside), while at the same time showing us what other cultures (often suspiciously similar to 21st-century Earth's) look like from the Culture's point of view (hint: not even as perfect as all that).
I think... I think it's the hope, the hope that Banks portrays so well, that maybe there is a way from here to there. It's that the Culture always strives for wisdom. And fails, obviously, over and over—but it's always trying, and that's still better than living in a culture which doesn't even make the attempt.
That's why I, and perhaps so many others as well, keep coming back to Banks' exhilarating inventions.
October 7, 2024
Look to Windward is the seventh book in The Culture series of space opera novels written by Iain M. Banks. The Culture is the name of the Galaxy-spanning, technologically-advanced, post-scarcity society that Banks returned to time after time to serve as the setting for his lyrical, sometimes-comical science fiction novels. Banks is one of the rare authors who was equally celebrated for his traditional fiction (presented under his name without the middle initial) as well as his genre work. In Look to Windward, he incorporates a lot of the textual intricacy and emotional heft of his non-genre works into a book that features near-omniscient A.I.’s, three-legged, furry aliens as central characters and a solar-system sized artificial habitat with over 50 billion humans with no poverty, crime, sickness or danger.
The book’s main character are Quilan and Ziller, who are both Chelgrians. We spend most of Look to Windward reading Quilan’s first-person perspective. Ziller is a talented and popular classical composer who has renounced his Chelgrian citizenship, denigrated their political caste system and taken refuge at the Culture’s Masaq Orbital for over a decade. Quilan is a survivor of the Chelgrian civil war in which his wife was killed and he has been ostensibly sent to Masaq in order to convince Ziller to return to their common Chel home world. In actuality, though Quilan is on a secret mission that even he doesn’t know about, because his memory was wiped after he agreed to do it. We do know that whatever Quilan is planning to do it’s probably not good for either Ziller or the Culture. In the technological era of the book, most civilized societies have a device which can store the memories and mental state of the wearer and serve as a backup in case of an untimely demise. However, in Look to Windward we discover that it turns out that the Culture has admitted culpability in meddling in Chelgrian politics before the start of the civil war and the Chelgrians now blame the Culture for the 5 billion who died in that conflict. In Quilan’s storage device he has the personality of an old military general named Huyler who is (apparently) there to assist/support/monitor him in the suicide mission Quilan has agreed to be sent to the Culture to complete.
The central themes of Look to Windward are memory, loss, revenge and faith (or, more accurately, zealotry). As with any Culture novel, the themes of this particular book or plot are always overlaid questions about the meaning of life and the limits of seemingly limitless technology. Quilan’s grief for his wife is told beautifully in flashbacks that we get as Quilan (and the reader) start to learn more from the memories that have been deleted and that are slowly resurfacing as the time where his mission will be revealed. We learn about the depths of despair Quilan felt back on Chel as he grieved for his wife, and how eventually he was recruited for and agreed to conduct a suicide mission by the head of the Chelgrian military (who also appears to be a bigwig in the Chelgrian religion as well).
It turns out that Hub, the Mind running Masaq Orbital, (that’s the near-omniscient artificial intelligence that is capable of running an orbital with 50 billion humans who are each able to personally interact with it) was actually involved in some of the skirmishes in the Chelgrian civil war. It was involved in the evacuation of several billion people and saving most of their lives but that resulted in the deaths of several million.
By the end of Look to Windward the reader realizes that both Quilan and Hub are still reeling from the after-effects of the traumas caused by war. How they react to these traumas animate the plot. Overall, although I’m glad I finally read Look to Windward, I’m not sure that I really enjoyed it. It’s definitely slow in some sections, and the basic story of watching someone realize that they have agreed to be a technologically sophisticated suicide bomber is hard to describe as “entertainment.” But Banks does do an incredibly job of building suspense about what the final result will be. And it’s always fun to spend time in the Culture. I will definitely miss Bank’s well-written cerebral brand of science fiction and wish there were more of it to read.
The book’s main character are Quilan and Ziller, who are both Chelgrians. We spend most of Look to Windward reading Quilan’s first-person perspective. Ziller is a talented and popular classical composer who has renounced his Chelgrian citizenship, denigrated their political caste system and taken refuge at the Culture’s Masaq Orbital for over a decade. Quilan is a survivor of the Chelgrian civil war in which his wife was killed and he has been ostensibly sent to Masaq in order to convince Ziller to return to their common Chel home world. In actuality, though Quilan is on a secret mission that even he doesn’t know about, because his memory was wiped after he agreed to do it. We do know that whatever Quilan is planning to do it’s probably not good for either Ziller or the Culture. In the technological era of the book, most civilized societies have a device which can store the memories and mental state of the wearer and serve as a backup in case of an untimely demise. However, in Look to Windward we discover that it turns out that the Culture has admitted culpability in meddling in Chelgrian politics before the start of the civil war and the Chelgrians now blame the Culture for the 5 billion who died in that conflict. In Quilan’s storage device he has the personality of an old military general named Huyler who is (apparently) there to assist/support/monitor him in the suicide mission Quilan has agreed to be sent to the Culture to complete.
The central themes of Look to Windward are memory, loss, revenge and faith (or, more accurately, zealotry). As with any Culture novel, the themes of this particular book or plot are always overlaid questions about the meaning of life and the limits of seemingly limitless technology. Quilan’s grief for his wife is told beautifully in flashbacks that we get as Quilan (and the reader) start to learn more from the memories that have been deleted and that are slowly resurfacing as the time where his mission will be revealed. We learn about the depths of despair Quilan felt back on Chel as he grieved for his wife, and how eventually he was recruited for and agreed to conduct a suicide mission by the head of the Chelgrian military (who also appears to be a bigwig in the Chelgrian religion as well).
It turns out that Hub, the Mind running Masaq Orbital, (that’s the near-omniscient artificial intelligence that is capable of running an orbital with 50 billion humans who are each able to personally interact with it) was actually involved in some of the skirmishes in the Chelgrian civil war. It was involved in the evacuation of several billion people and saving most of their lives but that resulted in the deaths of several million.
By the end of Look to Windward the reader realizes that both Quilan and Hub are still reeling from the after-effects of the traumas caused by war. How they react to these traumas animate the plot. Overall, although I’m glad I finally read Look to Windward, I’m not sure that I really enjoyed it. It’s definitely slow in some sections, and the basic story of watching someone realize that they have agreed to be a technologically sophisticated suicide bomber is hard to describe as “entertainment.” But Banks does do an incredibly job of building suspense about what the final result will be. And it’s always fun to spend time in the Culture. I will definitely miss Bank’s well-written cerebral brand of science fiction and wish there were more of it to read.
June 26, 2015
In my quest to read the Culture books in publication order (for no good reason, since doing so isn't necessary), I've made it to my seventh stop along the way. Everything I love about Banks is here: amusing AIs, thoughtful humans and aliens, the Culture and other cultures, etc. (if you're not in the know, the Culture is a post-scarcity galactic civilization whose citizens are freed from such drudgeries as money and jobs - it's an idea that makes for great science fiction). A lot of typical Banskian themes show up, too: love, loss, regret, as well as ruminations on life, the universe, and everything.
One atypical thing is that all of the main characters are non-humans - Quilan and Ziller are five-limbed Chelgrians and Kabe is a Homomdan (former friends of the Idirans featured in Consider Phelbas). You don't need to have read Consider Phlebas to read this one; Banks fills readers in on what they need to know (of course, you should read Consider Phelbas, because it's awesome). The Mind that runs the Orbital becomes a major character, too (a Mind is a super-intelligent AI, an Orbital is like a giant space station and this one has a lot of extreme sports fanatics). Unfortunately there's really only one drone character, although the rest of the characters make up for this one flaw (I mean Banksian hilarious, sarcastic drones, not the killing kind or Radio Shack kind we have in the real world).
War, or more specifically its aftermath for combatants and their civilizations, is another major theme. I don't want to say much about the plot, but the ending is emotional and makes it all worth it. In typical Banks fashion, there are times when you're not sure what's going on (especially in the non-numbered chapters), but you have to trust that it all comes together in the end. Speaking of the end, death is another major topic: would you really want to live forever, or is there something to be said for the sweet oblivion of nothingness?
EDIT (June 7, 2015): See my reviews of all ten Culture books here: http://examinedworlds.blogspot.com/20...
One atypical thing is that all of the main characters are non-humans - Quilan and Ziller are five-limbed Chelgrians and Kabe is a Homomdan (former friends of the Idirans featured in Consider Phelbas). You don't need to have read Consider Phlebas to read this one; Banks fills readers in on what they need to know (of course, you should read Consider Phelbas, because it's awesome). The Mind that runs the Orbital becomes a major character, too (a Mind is a super-intelligent AI, an Orbital is like a giant space station and this one has a lot of extreme sports fanatics). Unfortunately there's really only one drone character, although the rest of the characters make up for this one flaw (I mean Banksian hilarious, sarcastic drones, not the killing kind or Radio Shack kind we have in the real world).
War, or more specifically its aftermath for combatants and their civilizations, is another major theme. I don't want to say much about the plot, but the ending is emotional and makes it all worth it. In typical Banks fashion, there are times when you're not sure what's going on (especially in the non-numbered chapters), but you have to trust that it all comes together in the end. Speaking of the end, death is another major topic: would you really want to live forever, or is there something to be said for the sweet oblivion of nothingness?
EDIT (June 7, 2015): See my reviews of all ten Culture books here: http://examinedworlds.blogspot.com/20...
June 28, 2024
4.5. Yet another Culture novel with an emotionally devastating climax that i somehow didn't see coming 🙄 we get it Iain, you were really good at this
July 31, 2022
This is not only my favorite Culture book so far and not only one of my new favorite science fiction books but one of the best books I have ever read. This book hit hard on so many levels. I am stunned after finishing it.
I hope to do a full review later. Please do yourself a favor and read Iain M Banks. The man was an absolute legend. I am already excited to finish the rest of this series and then to read them all over again.
I hope to do a full review later. Please do yourself a favor and read Iain M Banks. The man was an absolute legend. I am already excited to finish the rest of this series and then to read them all over again.
June 9, 2010
I'd recommend Look To Windward, but it wasn't my favorite Banks' book so far. (That's probably Inversions). It took a while to get going, and there were a few too many jumps in time/perspective which I thought detracted a bit from the momentum of the narrative. However, once the reader (finally) figures out what's at stake, it's a tense, unpredictable, and thoughtful (almost philosophical) book set in a complex and interesting milieu (the Culture universe.) Oh, and a great epilogue!
September 2, 2015
Look to windward I think is book in which Banks goes back to what he does best i.e. tell a engrossing story which has a lot of twists and turns. This time the story exclusively takes place on Masaq orbital and the descriptions of the orbital is another point which made this book really fascinating for me.
Some of the strong points of the book for me where
1.Masaq orbital.
2.The varied species with their background story.
3. Subliming concept.
Let me elaborate on above points of the book
1.Masaq orbital.
Although throughout the culture series we have seen lot of orbitals, but they were lacking complete description in order to visualize them clearly. Banks gives detailed description of orbital in this book. The orbitals are basically circular objects which are millions of kilometer in diameter and they go about spinning around a star. It is their spinning motion around themselves, which basically provides gravity on their surface. On the surface of orbital we have plates which represent continents, and these plates are seperated from each other by thousands of kilometers. These plates are also different from each other in a sense that some may have arid deserts while other may have lush greenery on them.
Masaq is one such orbital, and it is unique in a sense because it revolves around a star which will explode when it dies which will definitely cause harm on orbital too. The people living on Masaq are also adventure loving, as they sometimes go rowing in lava ya you read it right, or they modify themselves like birds so they can go flying around the orbital.
As all orbital are basically managed by a hub mind, now a mind in culture is an AI who are a sort of sentient beings, they are not just your normals computers but they are so advanced that they are able to feel and observe more than a normal human mind is capable of. The minds are also have various personality traits which act as their identifiers.
The hub mind of Masaq orbital is unique in a sense because it was previously an a GSV i.e. General systems vehicle mind, which are a sort of warships in culture. It also participated in the Idrian war and was responsible for the destruction of three orbitals. It has decided to commerate Battle of the Twin Novae where in the Idrian destroyed two stars in the war due to which there were mass casulties. As the light of destruction will be reaching the orbital, it asks a famous composer Ziller to present a symphony.
2.The varied species with their background story.
Now Ziller is a rebel himself he is a chelgrian, a species who have evolved from tigers. He has run away from his homeland Chel during the caste wars and has spent more than 10 years in exile on the orbital Masaq. He is a brilliant composer, but is petrubed by the fact that his homeland are sending an ambassador Major Quillan in order to convince him to come back to Chel as the war has ended.
Ziller has completely gone in his shell, once he has heard the news about Quillan and refuses to present the symphony if the major is present any where hear the arena. The hub mind then takes help of Kabe who is an homondan a tripedal species who is an ambassador in culture in order to convince Ziller.
The story progresses where in Kabe,Ziller and the hub mind, take various journeys across the orbital. They discuss various things from the background of Kabe who we come to know has come to orbital when his lover left him. We also learn regarding the history of hub mind during their discussions.
Major Quillan is another strong character in this book, he is a broken man as he has lost his wife in the caste war, from that time onward he is desperately trying to find meaning of his life. When the war gets over and then Quillan comes to know that it was the Culture who were basically responsible for the caste war, at the same time he gets recruited on a mission which will finally lead him to redemption.
3. Subliming concept.
Subliming is a new concept introduced by Banks in this book, and it is fascinating due to the fact that a sublimed soul leaves the material plane altogether and only survives in form of pure energy.
The chelgrians are unique due to the fact that subliming is not easy, because even culture is not able to do it, but it has been done only by a few AI minds in it, but the chelgrians have made it into a process due a device called as soul keeper, this device basically captures traits of of an individual when he dies.
But when the chelgrians come to know that the people killed in the caste war have died because of war instigated not by themself but by a third party they stop the trapped souls of their fellow chelgrians from being sublimed. If Quillan's mission succeds he will be able to help these souls too.
So with so much riding on his mission will the major succed in his mission? will Ziller ever go back to his homeland?. It is better to read the book in order to get the answers to these questions.
All in all this book is an solid entry in the culture series. I give this book 4/5 stars.
Some of the strong points of the book for me where
1.Masaq orbital.
2.The varied species with their background story.
3. Subliming concept.
Let me elaborate on above points of the book
1.Masaq orbital.
Although throughout the culture series we have seen lot of orbitals, but they were lacking complete description in order to visualize them clearly. Banks gives detailed description of orbital in this book. The orbitals are basically circular objects which are millions of kilometer in diameter and they go about spinning around a star. It is their spinning motion around themselves, which basically provides gravity on their surface. On the surface of orbital we have plates which represent continents, and these plates are seperated from each other by thousands of kilometers. These plates are also different from each other in a sense that some may have arid deserts while other may have lush greenery on them.
Masaq is one such orbital, and it is unique in a sense because it revolves around a star which will explode when it dies which will definitely cause harm on orbital too. The people living on Masaq are also adventure loving, as they sometimes go rowing in lava ya you read it right, or they modify themselves like birds so they can go flying around the orbital.
As all orbital are basically managed by a hub mind, now a mind in culture is an AI who are a sort of sentient beings, they are not just your normals computers but they are so advanced that they are able to feel and observe more than a normal human mind is capable of. The minds are also have various personality traits which act as their identifiers.
The hub mind of Masaq orbital is unique in a sense because it was previously an a GSV i.e. General systems vehicle mind, which are a sort of warships in culture. It also participated in the Idrian war and was responsible for the destruction of three orbitals. It has decided to commerate Battle of the Twin Novae where in the Idrian destroyed two stars in the war due to which there were mass casulties. As the light of destruction will be reaching the orbital, it asks a famous composer Ziller to present a symphony.
2.The varied species with their background story.
Now Ziller is a rebel himself he is a chelgrian, a species who have evolved from tigers. He has run away from his homeland Chel during the caste wars and has spent more than 10 years in exile on the orbital Masaq. He is a brilliant composer, but is petrubed by the fact that his homeland are sending an ambassador Major Quillan in order to convince him to come back to Chel as the war has ended.
Ziller has completely gone in his shell, once he has heard the news about Quillan and refuses to present the symphony if the major is present any where hear the arena. The hub mind then takes help of Kabe who is an homondan a tripedal species who is an ambassador in culture in order to convince Ziller.
The story progresses where in Kabe,Ziller and the hub mind, take various journeys across the orbital. They discuss various things from the background of Kabe who we come to know has come to orbital when his lover left him. We also learn regarding the history of hub mind during their discussions.
Major Quillan is another strong character in this book, he is a broken man as he has lost his wife in the caste war, from that time onward he is desperately trying to find meaning of his life. When the war gets over and then Quillan comes to know that it was the Culture who were basically responsible for the caste war, at the same time he gets recruited on a mission which will finally lead him to redemption.
3. Subliming concept.
Subliming is a new concept introduced by Banks in this book, and it is fascinating due to the fact that a sublimed soul leaves the material plane altogether and only survives in form of pure energy.
The chelgrians are unique due to the fact that subliming is not easy, because even culture is not able to do it, but it has been done only by a few AI minds in it, but the chelgrians have made it into a process due a device called as soul keeper, this device basically captures traits of of an individual when he dies.
But when the chelgrians come to know that the people killed in the caste war have died because of war instigated not by themself but by a third party they stop the trapped souls of their fellow chelgrians from being sublimed. If Quillan's mission succeds he will be able to help these souls too.
So with so much riding on his mission will the major succed in his mission? will Ziller ever go back to his homeland?. It is better to read the book in order to get the answers to these questions.
All in all this book is an solid entry in the culture series. I give this book 4/5 stars.
July 26, 2023
3.5 not my favorite Culture book, but enjoyable. Was too rambling in places though.
January 11, 2024
One piece of writing advice that has always stuck with me is Ursula K. Le Guin’s take on conflict. Put simply, she challenged the orthodox opinion that every story must have conflict in it. I find myself thinking of this as I ponder Look to Windward and, indeed, Iain M. Banks’ Culture series as a whole. Banks once again proves himself so skilled at writing interesting utopias.
The majority of this book takes place on Masaq’ Orbital. Mahrai Ziller has been living in self-imposed exile among the Culture for decades. An emissary from his people, the Chelgrians, arrives and wants to convince Ziller to return home. An outcast for his rejection of Chelgrian caste structure, Ziller wants nothing less. He has thrown himself into composing an emotional piece for the AI Hub of Masaq’ to commemorate the end of a war between his people and the Culture. Meanwhile, we also learn more about the Chelgrian emissary, his past, and his involvement in that war. Gradually we learn there’s a plot afoot, something far more sinister and devastating than merely persuading one exile to return to his homeland.
I want to say that if you have experienced the Culture before, then much of this book will feel familiar to you—but that isn’t quite right, is it? The Culture is not a familiar thing, despite its trappings similar to humanity. It’s a riotous combination of utopianism, hedonism, post-scarcity economics, and redolent solipsistic philosophizing. The more one learns about the Culture, the more bizarre it feels. No wonder Banks often presents us with outsiders as interlocutors—in this case, Kabe, the Homomdan ambassador to Masaq’ Orbital. Through Kabe’s perspective we have a more selective filter on the insanity that makes the Culture work.
And it does work, for that is the essential point of this book. The conflict is, at its heart, not much of a conflict. For the first two thirds of the novel, the final threat is hinted at rather half-heartedly, with almost no exposition regarding its true nature. In the final act, as quickly as the threat reifies, it is dispatched with almost no ceremony. The Culture is just that powerful, and that is the point: almost nothing can challenge it, but is that a good thing?
At the heart of this book is the question how do we reconcile who we are now with who we used to be? For there is not much conflict in the main part of this book, but there is a history of conflict in these pages. There are many characters in Look to Windward who did terrible things in the past. The Hub of Masaq’ Orbital, though a minor character, played a role in the Chelgrian war, is intimately connected to the events leading up to the climax of the novel, as is the Chelgrian emissary whose arrival sets everything into motion. The Culture’s utopian outlook sometimes means endorsing violence. Is this compatible with morality as we lowly humans know it?
As always, it is a pleasure to spend time in the universe of the Culture novels. Banks is such a fascinating science-fiction author: brimming with technological conceits of AI and nanotechnology and faster-than-light drives yet, at the same time, placing all those on the back burner so that he can focus on deep, enduring emotional questions. Can we let go of our past wrongs, and how others have wronged us? Is it OK to forgive? How do we move forward when we have lost so much?
Science fiction is at its best when it puts us in milieus that feel simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar. Banks is one of the best at doing that. I don’t enjoy every outing equally—indeed, given the many years over which I have read these novels, it is hard for me to rank them or even compare them. But I always find value in them, and I am always left changed (hopefully for the better) by the experience.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews.
The majority of this book takes place on Masaq’ Orbital. Mahrai Ziller has been living in self-imposed exile among the Culture for decades. An emissary from his people, the Chelgrians, arrives and wants to convince Ziller to return home. An outcast for his rejection of Chelgrian caste structure, Ziller wants nothing less. He has thrown himself into composing an emotional piece for the AI Hub of Masaq’ to commemorate the end of a war between his people and the Culture. Meanwhile, we also learn more about the Chelgrian emissary, his past, and his involvement in that war. Gradually we learn there’s a plot afoot, something far more sinister and devastating than merely persuading one exile to return to his homeland.
I want to say that if you have experienced the Culture before, then much of this book will feel familiar to you—but that isn’t quite right, is it? The Culture is not a familiar thing, despite its trappings similar to humanity. It’s a riotous combination of utopianism, hedonism, post-scarcity economics, and redolent solipsistic philosophizing. The more one learns about the Culture, the more bizarre it feels. No wonder Banks often presents us with outsiders as interlocutors—in this case, Kabe, the Homomdan ambassador to Masaq’ Orbital. Through Kabe’s perspective we have a more selective filter on the insanity that makes the Culture work.
And it does work, for that is the essential point of this book. The conflict is, at its heart, not much of a conflict. For the first two thirds of the novel, the final threat is hinted at rather half-heartedly, with almost no exposition regarding its true nature. In the final act, as quickly as the threat reifies, it is dispatched with almost no ceremony. The Culture is just that powerful, and that is the point: almost nothing can challenge it, but is that a good thing?
At the heart of this book is the question how do we reconcile who we are now with who we used to be? For there is not much conflict in the main part of this book, but there is a history of conflict in these pages. There are many characters in Look to Windward who did terrible things in the past. The Hub of Masaq’ Orbital, though a minor character, played a role in the Chelgrian war, is intimately connected to the events leading up to the climax of the novel, as is the Chelgrian emissary whose arrival sets everything into motion. The Culture’s utopian outlook sometimes means endorsing violence. Is this compatible with morality as we lowly humans know it?
As always, it is a pleasure to spend time in the universe of the Culture novels. Banks is such a fascinating science-fiction author: brimming with technological conceits of AI and nanotechnology and faster-than-light drives yet, at the same time, placing all those on the back burner so that he can focus on deep, enduring emotional questions. Can we let go of our past wrongs, and how others have wronged us? Is it OK to forgive? How do we move forward when we have lost so much?
Science fiction is at its best when it puts us in milieus that feel simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar. Banks is one of the best at doing that. I don’t enjoy every outing equally—indeed, given the many years over which I have read these novels, it is hard for me to rank them or even compare them. But I always find value in them, and I am always left changed (hopefully for the better) by the experience.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews.
May 9, 2013
This is spectacular. It deals with huge, terrible themes (war, loss, revenge, suicide, suicide bombings) and philosophical questions (exile, redemption, forgiveness), in multiple storylines spread across hundreds of years. The scope is HUGE.
There are three things that came out of Banks's mind I desperately want to be real: GSVs, drug glands and Orbitals. The fact that a large chunk of the story takes place on an O made me very happy indeed. The geography, the landscapes, the subway system - I ate up every bit of physical description I encountered. Conversely, I wasn't quite so interested in the airspheres with the behemoths, so those sections got a bit long for me - hence the 4 (.5) stars.
This time, the AIs, while present, disappear behind the towering humanoid characters. Kabe is magnificient, Ziller is brilliant, Quilan is heartbreaking. The philosphical debates between Kabe and Ziller, in particular, are an absolute joy to behold. I'm gonna quote a short passage for my own amusement:
Ziller was staring at him. 'Are you saying the sun could explode?'
'Well, sort of, in theory. It's a very--'
'You're not serious!'
'Of course I am. The chances are--'
'They never told me that!'
'Actually, it wouldn't really blow up as such, but it might flare--'
'It does flare! I've seen its flares!'
'Yes. Pretty, aren't they?'
:) And this isn't even one of their great debates, just a small thing that made me laugh. It might not work out of context, but I don't care.
Read this, if you haven't already. You will laugh. You might cry a little. (I did.) You will stare into space, lost in wonder, hoping against hope that someone, somewhere has built such marvels and is going to invite you along for a visit.
There are three things that came out of Banks's mind I desperately want to be real: GSVs, drug glands and Orbitals. The fact that a large chunk of the story takes place on an O made me very happy indeed. The geography, the landscapes, the subway system - I ate up every bit of physical description I encountered. Conversely, I wasn't quite so interested in the airspheres with the behemoths, so those sections got a bit long for me - hence the 4 (.5) stars.
This time, the AIs, while present, disappear behind the towering humanoid characters. Kabe is magnificient, Ziller is brilliant, Quilan is heartbreaking. The philosphical debates between Kabe and Ziller, in particular, are an absolute joy to behold. I'm gonna quote a short passage for my own amusement:
Ziller was staring at him. 'Are you saying the sun could explode?'
'Well, sort of, in theory. It's a very--'
'You're not serious!'
'Of course I am. The chances are--'
'They never told me that!'
'Actually, it wouldn't really blow up as such, but it might flare--'
'It does flare! I've seen its flares!'
'Yes. Pretty, aren't they?'
:) And this isn't even one of their great debates, just a small thing that made me laugh. It might not work out of context, but I don't care.
Read this, if you haven't already. You will laugh. You might cry a little. (I did.) You will stare into space, lost in wonder, hoping against hope that someone, somewhere has built such marvels and is going to invite you along for a visit.
October 14, 2017
-Una intencionalidad sociopolítica enorme bajo el barniz de género.-
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro A barlovento (publicación original: Look to Windward, 2000), Worosei es un militar chelgriano que viajará hasta un orbital de La Cultura en una misión diplomática con el objetivo de que Zeller, un músico autoexiliado allí, regrese con él. Pero detrás de la misión hay algo mucho más peligroso, un acto que mezcla la agresión, la venganza y la acción socioreligiosa. Y es que las acciones de La Cultura, mucho tiempo atrás, provocaron infinidad de muertes entre los chelgrianos. Sexto libro de la serie La Cultura.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro A barlovento (publicación original: Look to Windward, 2000), Worosei es un militar chelgriano que viajará hasta un orbital de La Cultura en una misión diplomática con el objetivo de que Zeller, un músico autoexiliado allí, regrese con él. Pero detrás de la misión hay algo mucho más peligroso, un acto que mezcla la agresión, la venganza y la acción socioreligiosa. Y es que las acciones de La Cultura, mucho tiempo atrás, provocaron infinidad de muertes entre los chelgrianos. Sexto libro de la serie La Cultura.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
May 22, 2013
I don't know whether I like this as much or more than any of the other Culture novels I've read. It seems to be a different sort of beast, really. The others are things that are happening, even in Use of Weapons with the dual flow of the story; this one is the aftermath, things that have happened and dealing with them (or not). That's not to say that there isn't a plot, but the things that're happening are happening as a direct result of a known and understood past: in Consider Phlebas, the conflict is new; in Use of Weapons, Zakalwe gets involved in a lot of unrelated (except by his presence) situations; in The Player of Games, the Culture is actively meddling. But Look to Windward is the aftermath of Consider Phlebas and of the same kind of situation that is played out in Use of Weapons and Player of Games.
The depictions of grief and guilt, loss and longing, are incredibly well done. There's some gorgeous writing in the way Banks unveils his world, and some amazing background to his world.
Two complaints, really: one, I'm no longer sure if Banks is really managing to distinguish aliens from humans, in terms of character and outlook -- I could forget Kabe and Quilan's races if I let my mind wander; two, the last couple of sections/chapters wrap everything up so very neatly, and I've realised that happens in his other books too. Oh for a little bit of ambiguity to take away with me...
The depictions of grief and guilt, loss and longing, are incredibly well done. There's some gorgeous writing in the way Banks unveils his world, and some amazing background to his world.
Two complaints, really: one, I'm no longer sure if Banks is really managing to distinguish aliens from humans, in terms of character and outlook -- I could forget Kabe and Quilan's races if I let my mind wander; two, the last couple of sections/chapters wrap everything up so very neatly, and I've realised that happens in his other books too. Oh for a little bit of ambiguity to take away with me...
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